Apparatus for hanging draperies



Aug. 25, 1959 w. B. YOHNER ET AL 2,901,037

APPARATUS FOR HANGING DRAPERIES Filed May 3, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS W/LL/AM 5. YOHNER JAMEJ M/KSA K 8" 5, 1959 w. B. YOHNER ET AL 2,901,037

APPARATUS FOR HANGING DRAPERIES Filed May 3, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 PIE Tin-E g- 25, 1959 w. B. YOHNER ET AL 2,901,037

APPARATUS FOR HANGING DRAPERIES Filed Maya, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet s F'IE 1E] INVENTORJ- WILL/14M .5. YOH/VE/Q JHMES J. M/KJ'AK ATTORA/E'Vf Patented Aug. 25, 1959 APPARATUS FOR HANGING DRAPERIES William B. Yohner and James Joseph Miksak, Sacramento, Calif.; said Yohner assignor to said Miksak Application May 3, 1956, Serial No. 582,553 2 Claims. (Cl. 160346) This invention relates to apparatus for supporting and hanging draperies and particularly to a device which .is adapted to be incorporated in a drapery or other hanging to impart thereto a regular or symmetrical pleating effect and to other apparatus which is adapted to be used in conjunction therewith to support the drapery, to draw the same, and to return the same in predetermined drawn or open position.

In the past various devices have been utilized to accomplish this result, the most common of which is .to provide pleating by conventional means, that is, by stitching and sewing and then to provide hooks which are sewed to the drapery at the pleated zone. The hooks are then supported upon ordinary supporting media which in turn are slidably supported upon a rod or within a so-called Kirsch rod which is generally C-shaped in cross section.

.It is an object of this invention to provide a drapery pleating member which is formed of a single element and which may be made of wire, for example, formed in a generally undulating fashion so that when a drape is drawn, the wire or support adopts a generally symmetrical undulating form throughout its entire length whereby the drapery will be evenly pleated throughout its length.

It is a further object of this inventionto provide a device of this kind which is adapted to be supported upon novel runners or supports in a substantially conventional transverse rod and to provide a brake by means of which the operating cord may be held in a predetermined position so that the drapes may be retained in fully opened or closed position or in any intermediate selected position.

These and other objects of our invention will be made clear from the following specification taken in conjunc tion with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 represents a front view of a drapery assembly incorporating our invention in which the left hand drape is in fully drawn position and the right hand drape is in open position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail, partially in cross section, of the left end of the drapery assembly illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the drapery assembly illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional detail taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 illustrates a cross-sectional detail of a modification of the assembly illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, in which the transverse supporting "rod has been repositioned so that the opening which forms the track is vertically positioned instead of horizontally positioned as illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure dis a cross-sectional detail taken along the lines-6-6 of Figure 5 and shows the method of securing the carrier to the drapery supporting element shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a modification showing a means of supporting a draper supporting element directly by a carrier which is secured directly thereto.

Figure 8 is a modification of the brake illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 9 is a bottom view of the brake illustrated in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a side view of a drapery supporting mechanism, without .a drapery mounted thereon, illustrating the method of making the guides or runners and supporting devices which overlap when the draperies are drawn.

Figure 11 is a modification of the device illustrated :in Figure 5 showing another means of supporting the same.

As indicated in Figure l we provide drapes 16 which are substantially identical and which are adapted to hang in an opening 11 such as a window which is surrounded by conventional wall 12. The bottoms of the drapes may be provided with a hem in the conventional form and the upper portion of the drape may be provided with a hem which may be in any form which lends itself to the decorating scheme but which in any event must provide a longitudinal tunnel parallel to the top of the drape and either immediately adjacent the top edge thereof or spaced a moderate distance from the top thereof. The tunnel which we have just described is adapted to accommodate a wire element 13 as indicated generally in Figures 2 and 3. The wire element should be resilient and when formed must form a curved element substantially as indicated in Figures 6 and 7. It will be seen that the drapery It) will tend to accommodate itself to the curve formed by the member 13 and thus a fold will be imparted thereto. As the element 13 is elongated or allowed to relax it will also be apparent that the curve thereof will be substantially even and, thusl'y, the fold imparted thereby to the drape will also be even so that the drape will be evenly folded along its entire length. The drape will have, for example, ten pleats or folds when it is fully closed, and ten pleats or folds when it is fully open. However the folds will, of course, be longer or shorter depending upon whether the drape is closed or open and a pleasing symmetrical effect will be given to the drape throughout .its entire length, regardless of its position, because of the even pleating effect imparted thereto by the resilient member 13.

The member 13 is adapted tobe supported in a numberof ways. For example as indicated in Figures 1 through 4, inclusive, we have shown an opening 11. The drapery is adapted to be set in as indicated in Figure 4 and to accomplish this purpose we have mounted a socalled Kirsch-rod which, as indicated herein, consists of an elongated track member which is substantially C-shaped in cross section. This type of rod is well known and many draperies are hung thereon today. The track or Kirsch rod 14 as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4 provides a longitudinal opening which is defined by a pair of parallel spaced lips 16 and 16a. The track 14 is adapted to accommodate a plurality of substantially identical supporting members or runners 17 which, as indicated generally in Figure 4, may be formed of nylon or other plastic rotatable members 18. The surfaces 19 of the member 18 are shaped to accommodate themselves generally to the inner surface of the track 14 and the flange 19 on the member 18 is adapted to accommodate itself generally to the lips 16 and 16a. The rotatable member 18 is mounted upon a pin 21 which in turn is secured to a deformable arm 22. A conventional drapery hook may be passed through the drapery 10, an orifice inthe member 13 and an orifice in the member 22 in such a manner that the drapery 10 is supported by the deformable arm 22. It will be apparent that since the arm 22 is deformable, the track member 14 may be positioned in a plurality of positions and yet suitably accommodate the drapery 10.

We have also shown a brake mechanism in Figures 2 and 3. The brake mechanism is adapted to lock the operating cords 26 and 27 so that when the drapery is closed as indicated in the left hand portion of Figure 1, the natural tendency of the resilient member 13 to return to the positionillustrated in Figure 6, for example, will be resisted. The actuating cords 26 and 27 are secured to only one supporting device on each drape and that is the supporting device indicated in Figure 1 by the reference numeral 28. The other supporting devices are secured only to the drapery and they are caused to advance along the track 14 solely by the operation of the cords 26 and 27 and a supporting member 28. Thus when cord 26, for example, is drawn in such a manner that the drapery is drawn to the position illustrated at Figure 1 against the normal resistance of the member 13 it will be apparent that there must be some means for locking the cord 26 to prevent the member 1.3 from causing the drapery to assume the position illustrated at the right hand side of Figure 1, for example. To accomplish this we have provided-a supporting housing 29 within which a roller 31 is rotatably mounted on an axle 32. The roller 31 is provided with a pair of annular grooves 33 within which the cords 26 and 27 are supported. A tongue 34 is also pivotally mounted in the supporting member 29 upon an axle 36 and is normally urged into position against the roller 31 or the cords Z6 and 2'7 by a resilient spring 37. However it will be apparent that when the cord 26, for example, is actuated, the curve therein which is imparted thereto by the tongue 34 will be strai htened out and that the tongue 34 will be swung downwardly or in a clockwise direction against the spring 37 whereupon both the cords 26 and 27 will be free to be operated. However when the cords 26 or 27 are released, the effect of the spring 37 will be to urge the tongue 34 into jamming position against the cords 26 and 27 against the roller 31 whereupon the cords will not 'be free to move. The cords may be passed about a roller or rotatably mounted sheave 38. In this manner it is apparent that the drapery may be easily operated and mounted and a brief description of the mode of operation may be as follows: As has previously been indicated the draperies may be formed of any suitable fabric or other suitable drapery material and it is important only that an elongated tunnel be formed adjacent the upper edge of the drapery to accommodate the resilient undulating member 13. stiffening members may be inserted although we have found that they are not necessary. Several hems may be formed to lend certain decorative effects which are desired but these arev all beyond the scope of our invention. The important feature insofar as the design of the drapery itself is concerned is the provision of an elongated tunnel parallel to the top of the drapery and either immediately adjacent the top edge of the drapery or spaced a short distance therefrom. At any rate, and assuming that this has been done, the drapery may be hung upon the accessories illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive. The track 1. is secured in desired position and a plurality of the runners 17 are positioned therein in such a manner that the deformable arms 22 extend into the general area within which the drapery is to be hung. The center members 2% are secured to the cords 26 and 27 which may be passed around the sheaves 38 and through the brake mechanism indicated in Figures 2 and 3. Suitable drapery pins are then passed through the drapery 1t and through suitable orifices in the member 13. The drapery pins are then passed through suitable orifices of the deformable members 2 and the deformable members 22 are then deformed in such a manner that the upper edge of the drape is properly spaced with respect to the wall surrounding the opening 11. it will thus be seen that we have provided a very simple device for supporting draperiesof this kind.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 5 the track 14 has been swung about its longitudinal axis illustrated in Figure 4 in such a manner that the open slot is vertically positioned and the track 14 is spaced away from the wall 12. This may be done by suitable and conventional brackets. The members 17 are substantially identical to those previously described in connection with Figure 4 but the extensible members 22a differs slightly. The members 22a are provided with a flange 4-1 and a pointed end 42. The pointed end' i-Z is adapted to cooperate with a member 43 which is secured to the member 13 in any suitable manner, as, for example, by snap hooks, by rivets, or by spot welding to provide a vertical tubular portion 44. The vertical tubular portion 44 is adapted to cooperate with the member 22:: whereby the member 13 is adapted to support the drapery which may be mounted thereon in such a manner that substantially all of the mechanism is concealed with the exception, of course, of the exposed portion of the track member 14. However the track member 14 being placed as indicated, will not be unsightly.

In the modification illustrated in Figure 7 we contemplate that the track member 14 may be reversed from the position illustrated in Figure 5 in such a manner that the open slot therein may be exposed to the room and that the portion 4%, for example, may be secured directly to the wall 12. In this event a roller 17a of the type generally previously described herein may be secured directly to the member 13. In this event the member 13 will slide in substantially the same way as has previously been described herein with the exception however that there will be no intervenlng arm 22 or 22a between the roller 17 and the member 13.

In the brake illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 we have provided an adjustable mechanism. It will be noted that we provide substantially the same supporting housing 29a and that the roller 31a is similar to the roller 31 illustrated in Figures 2. and 3. However the tongue member 34a which is pivoted at 36a is adapted to be swung about the pivot 36a by a leaf spring 37a. The leaf spring 37a engages the remote end of the member 34a and we have provided an adjusting screw 46 whereby the effect of the leaf spring-37a upon the tongue 34a may be increased or decreased by positioning the screw 46. In this manner we may increase or decrease the tension or the effect of the spring 37a and increase or decrease the braking effect of our brake assembly.

As illustrated in Figure 10 we have provided a novel center drape supporting assembly which consists of a plate 47 which is mounted on a pair of substantially identieal rollers 17b. The cords are secured to the member 47 by means of a struck out tongue 48 which is adapted to clamp the cord. The member 47 is also provided with an extending arm 49 which is adapted to support the extreme leading edge of the drapery. The arms 49 on members 47 which are adapted to operate on the same drapery assembly, are offset with respect to each other so that when the draperies are drawn the center members 49 will be spaced apart, in parallel manner, so that the leading edges of adjoining drapes will overlap.

In the assembly illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 we use the same general type of apparatus illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 in that the member 13 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel tubular pontions within which the pins 22b are accommodated so that the mem- 'ber 49 is accurately and firmly positioned thereon.

The rollers 17 may be formed of any suitable substantially friction free material such as nylon or Teflon or any of the materials which are suitable for this purpose. We have found that because of the design of the member 17 previously described (that is, the rotatable members 18), we have eliminated binding between the runners and the Kirsch rod. Because of this substantially friction free mounting permits the drapes to be drawn easily and with a minimum of noise.

It will be apparent that slight modifications may be made in the specific elements which we have disclosed herein without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, means adapted to support a drapery of the type which is adapted to be pleated by a deformable resilient member positioned in a horizontal tunnel in said drapery, said means comprising a horizontal C-shaped track, a plurality of support members mounted in said track and adapted to be moved longitudinally therealong comprising a roller, a mounting for said roller, and an extensible member secured to and extending from said mounting, each of said extensible members being provided with a pointed end having a'flange thereabouts, vertical tubular members on said resilient member receiving said pointed ends and resting on said flanges, and means for opening and closing said drapery comprising cords secured to selected support members.

2. In a drapery construction of the type utilizing a drapery which is pleated by a deformable resilient membere which is positioned in a horizontal tunnel in said drapery, a O-shaped track member mounted adjacent an opening with which said drapery is associated, a plurality of support members adapted to be moved longitudinally along said track member, each of said support members comprising a roller, a mounting and an ex-v tensible member provided with a pointed end and a. flange adjacent said pointed end, a plurality of vertical tubular members connected to said resilient member receiving said pointed ends and resting on said flanges, means for moving said support members along said tracks comprising a pair of cords connected to selected support members and terminating in free ends adapted to be controlled by an operator, and a brake adapted to engage said cords and to prevent themovement of said cords except'when under the control of said operator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Graber et al. Oct. 6, 

